Archers, Falcons stir up chase for 'twice-to-beat'

MANILA, Philippines - With the Final Four cast of the UAAP Season 73 seniors basketball tournament complete, it’s now down to a battle for the Top 2 positions and twice-to-beat incentives among the qualifiers.

Today, semifinalists La Salle and Adamson, which share third spot with 8-4 cards behind Far Eastern U (10-2) and Ateneo (9-3), seek to boost their respective bids against separate rivals at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Green Archers, who completed the semis roster Thursday after beating Santo Tomas, 78-69, gun for their ninth win against ousted University of the East (4-8) at 2 p.m.

The Falcons aim for the same objective versus also-ran National U (5-7) at 4 p.m.

DLSU coach Dindo Pumaren said his young crew deserves to make it back to the Final Four after missing the semis last year, especially with all their hard work in practice.

And the players themselves are determined to go one step farther – finish in the Top Two and nail the semis bonus.

“We still have a chance to get into the Top Two. We’ll try to get that,” Joshua Webb said after their semis berth-clinching triumph over UST. “We’ll celebrate (the win) but we’ll get back to work and focus on our game against UE on Saturday,” Webb said.

Like La Salle, the Falcons are raring to secure the semis incentive.

“Expect us to go all out in our remaining games because this is a rare opportunity for us to get into the Top Two and enter the playoffs with a twice-to-beat edge,” said AdU coach Leo Austria, whose wards are into their first Final Four appearance since 2006.

Although out of the semis picture, the Bulldogs and the Warriors are still expected to play like they’re still in the hunt as they look to end their respective seasons on a winning note.